Istanbul, February 23 (QNA) - Everyone who looks at the Holy month of Ramadan atmospheres in Istanbul, Turkiye would find that this month isn't solely devoted to worshiping and fasting alone. Each year, it returns like a gentle revival, breathing life into the city's every detail and stirring its Ottoman memory, which still pulses through its mosques, its ancient quarters, and its squares alive with spirituality and throngs of people.
From the sound of the Iftar cannon, whose echoes reverberate across every corner of the old city, to Taraweeh prayer with sheer numbers of worshippers filling the aisles of Fatih Mosque, and from the Ramadan calendars hung in homes to the bustling evening market stalls, time intertwines in a unique Ramadan scene, where past and present meet, and religion and culture embrace each other, in an experience unlike any other.
As the call to Maghrib prayer approaches, folks assemble in a number of Istanbul neighborhoods, particularly in the historic areas like Sultanahmet and Fatih, awaiting the sound of the cannon whose history dates back to the Ottoman era, serving as an official vehicle to declare the exact time of Iftar prior to the emergence of clocks and state-of-the-art media devices.
Despite this technological edge, this cannon still operates in Turkiye with a daily symbolic nature, with the Turkish military undertaking the mission of operating it during Ramadan, in a scene reminiscent of inherited Ottoman rituals, where Azan sound, cannon, and people's movement harmonize in a spiritual moment filled with serenity and nostalgia.
Qatar News Agency (QNA) reached Osman Onlu, a former official at the Presidency of Turkish Religious Affairs, who underscored that there is no limited history agreed upon by historians to indicate the specific year when this custom emerged, but historical narratives indicate that the idea of this cannon debuted in 1835, specifically on the night of the Prophet’s Birthday, locally known as the Night of the Lantern, which was used for the first time by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II to announce this blessed day to the people.
Sultan Mahmud II was accustomed to operating the cannon five times from this night until the second day, Onlu explains, noting that by dint of the significant positive interaction of people during that time, the Sultan pursued this idea later during Ramadan to make the cannon a vehicle for informing people of the approaching times of Iftar and fasting, at a time when sound amplifiers or technological means were absent.
With evolving time, some Turkish cities started to use modern sound devices in lieu of conventional cannons, but the symbolic nature of this cannon remains vigorously present in Istanbul, underscoring people’s connection with their Ottoman heritage.
Alongside the Ramadan cannon, the fasting timetable in Istanbul, the Imsakiyah, holds special significance for residents. Historically, it was prepared by astronomers in major mosques like Fatih Mosque and Suleymaniye Mosque, handwritten, and sometimes decorated before being gifted to dignitaries.
Today, despite digital apps, printed Imsakiyahs are still distributed for free by municipalities and displayed in homes and mosques.
Journalist Mustafa Ozcan described the Imsakiyah as a living Ottoman memory, reflecting the deep link between time and faith, and how Ramadan was managed as a comprehensive spiritual and social event.
During Ramadan, Fatih district, one of Istanbul’s oldest quarters, becomes vibrant. Around Fatih Mosque, spiritual prayer atmospheres merge with commercial activity in night markets and stalls.
Squares fill before and after iftar with visitors from across Turkiye and the Arab world. Vendors offer roasted chestnuts, Ramadan sweets, and traditional drinks, while families attend prayers and enjoy the festive ambiance.
Journalist Hassan Ozturk described Fatih district as the neighborhood that encapsulates the Ottoman heritage, where the Ramadan scene merges Turkish and Arab mores and reflects profoundly rooted Islamic culture.
He added that Ramadan in Istanbul is not merely a month of fasting, but a season combining religion, traditions, and social interaction, and Fatih embodies these values.
With Maghrib Adhan, activity increases as food stalls and vendors bustle, and people share iftar moments. After dinner, squares morph into capacious prayer areas for Tarawih, with rows extending beyond the mosque amid an atmosphere of reverence.
Citizen Aytkin Akar said people come to Fatih for Tarawih prayers, then sit with family in the surrounding squares, restoring the spirit of Ramadan.
A local vendor added that Ramadan is the golden season, the activity continues after Tarawih, and people seek the simple, warm ambiance.
Istanbul, particularly Fatih district, manifests a unique Ramadan tableau, fusing the eminence of tradition with the vibrancy of modernity, and intertwining the spirituality of faith with the dynamism of daily life.
The scene spellbinds hearts, a vindication that Ramadan here isn't merely a season of worship, but a comprehensive way of life, where rituals merge with lived experience and customs become living practices imbued with meaning.
Notwithstanding the technological edge and the subsequent urban evolution, Istanbul still preserves its enduring Ramadan features, not as a legacy of the past, but as vibrant traditions that revive history every single evening in the city's markets, squares, and long-standing mosques. (QNA)